One hundred seventy-four members of Congress pressed the Justice Department to keep enforcing a federal limit that stops licensed dealers from selling handguns to adults ages 18 through 20. The October 7 letter followed a September 17, 2026 Office of Legal Counsel opinion that the 1968 Gun Control Act provision is unconstitutional because those adults belong to the people the Second Amendment covers and history does not support the ban.

After a September 18 statement, the department said it would not pursue criminal charges against dealers who sell handguns to otherwise eligible buyers in that age group. Thompson of California, Raskin of Maryland, and McBath of Georgia argued the administration should not drop a statute Congress has not repealed and courts have not voided nationwide. Federal rules already let dealers sell rifles and shotguns at 18 while generally allowing 18-to-20-year-olds to possess handguns and obtain them in lawful private deals.